4 ANGLING FOR GAME FISH. 



about tbe size of a small burn-trout, and witb mucb the same 

 markings * At tbe end of some montbs the trout markings 

 disappear, and our young salmon develops into a silvery fish, 

 called a smolt, which descends to the sea — sometimes in 

 spring, sometimes in autumn — to return as grilse, at the end 

 of from two months to a year, or even more, enormously in- 

 creased in size,t weighing, perhaps, as much as 101b., but 

 more often 51b. or 61b. While on their journey up stream 

 they feed but little. That they do feed is beyond argument, 

 for they not only rise to the angler's fly, but also take 

 worms and spinning baits. During the period before spawn- 

 ing, passed in fresh water, the male fish develops a hook at 

 the end of his lower jaw, the principal use of which seems 

 to be to wound other males when fighting for a mate. This 

 hook disappears when the spent fish returns to the sea; 

 but whether it falls off, or is absorbed, is uncertain. It 

 is termed the beak, gib, or kip — hence the term "kipper." 

 Shortly before spawning-time the male salmon loses his silvery 

 appearance, and becomes more or less red. He is then known 

 as a red fish. 



After spawning, our grilse or peal, or salmon, as the case 

 may be, are termed spent fish or kelts. They are now lank, 



* As it is against the law to take samlets, and as they abound in many trout- 

 streams, and much resemble small trout, it may be useful to quote from 

 Dr. Day's work the points of difference between samlets and trout : " In 

 small salmon-par the superior maxillary jawbone extends to below the 

 pupil of the eye— mostly to below its centre. In the young brown trout it 

 generally reaches to a level of the hind edge of the eye. But to these general 

 rules there are many exceptional cases. The foregoing general rule as regards 

 salmon-par sometimes holds good in smolts, but more generally does not do so. 

 The pectoral, or breast-fin, is larger in the salmon-par than in the young trout. 

 The adipose, or dead fin, is almost invariably tipped with orange in the brook-trout, 

 but rarely so in the salmon-par. The scales in the hind portion of the body are 

 larger in the salmon than in the trout, being from eleven to twelve rows, in a line 

 from the hind edge of the dead fin, downwards and forwards to the lateral line in 

 the true salmon, and in more regular, horizontal rows than seen in the trout, in 

 which latter species there are fourteen or fifteen rows where a salmon has only 

 eleven or twelve." I may add to this, that the scales of the samlet are much easier 

 displaced than the scales of the brook-trout. Even with this account of their 

 differences before him, I am afraid the unscientific angler will sometimes have con- 

 siderable diflaculty in naming his small capture. Of course, when in doubt, the 

 thing to do is to return the fish. The latest experiments at Howietoun have 

 proved conclusively that up to, at any rate, eighteen months of age, there is no 

 difference in appearance between the young of brown trout and the young of 

 sea trout. 



t Certain of the smolts (bred at Stormontfield) turned into the Tay on 29th May, 

 1854, returned within two months weighing from 51b. to ^\\i. ! When turned in 

 they weighed less than lib. 



